Principal’s Message

2019-20

On behalf of the staff at St. Agnes, we welcome you to a truly vibrant school community that puts the needs of children first. We feel blessed to be part of a school team focused on developing the whole child — mind, body and spirit — through a commitment to high expectations, collaboration, and inclusivity for all. Students are at the heart of everything we do: they are the very reason we exist as a school system.

We have the privilege of educating our children in a Catholic school system; this is a truly awesome responsibility and one which we will not take for granted. We place great value on our three cornerstones of community– school, home, and church. As adults, we must teach, model, and live the gospel values in all our actions. Students must experience and witness our faith, not only in Religion and Family Life classes, but in the day-to-day life of the school. We will continue to recognize and celebrate these qualities in our students through our many programs offered at St. Agnes School. We are blessed to be located adjacent to St. Agnes parish which allows us to experience a rich faith life with the support of our pastor, Father Aleks. Under his guidance and leadership, our students will have the opportunity to grow in their daily lives, and celebrate the Sacraments. Our school is blessed with a caring, talented staff committed to creating opportunities for students to share their wonderful gifts. Together, we can prepare our 21st century learners for a productive, meaningful life, tolerant of differences, while working together in the image of Jesus Christ.

We are also very fortunate to have a strong volunteer program here at St. Agnes School. Parents and guardians, friends and community helpers, all play an important role in helping us at St. Agnes. Support from home, involvement and participation at school, and contributing to the school community are all aspects of the partnerships that keep us true to our board’s vision of our school being the “heart of the community– success for each and a place for all”. In 2019-20, our school theme will be focused on mental health and wellness. We will share our journey using the hashtags #gomakeadifference #CalledToBelong.

Clear, consistent, and timely communication is critical in today’s world. It is our hope that all families will engage in 21st C learning along side your children. We use multiple forms of communication to help you stay connected with all the activities that will be taking place at St. Agnes CES. Please sign up for St. Agnes NewsWire, an electronic email service designed to communicate important school notifications through your designated email. Important updates will be sent via NewsWire and simultaneously posted on this school website. We also have a St. Agnes Twitter feed and you can follow us @StAgnesCES. You do not require a Twitter account to see our feed. Classroom teachers will be encouraged to use Google Classroom for classroom wide communication and the development of student e-Portfolios from JK- Gr. 6. Our Grade 7 & 8 students will be using myBlueprint as a transition tool to secondary school for pathways planning. Finally, our students and teachers continue to learn more about Google and incorporate this learning into our everyday practice. We are truly engaged in 21st C learning at St. Agnes, and we hope you will join us!

Finally, we are proud to be a 2019 Gold certified EcoSchool and we look forward to working toward a Healthy School certification in 2019-20! Both of these important endeavors are school wide, year long commitments that truly make a difference in our school community. When you browse our School Life page you will find many opportunities for your child to become involved in activities beyond academics at St. Agnes. We look forward to sharing a fantastic year with you and your family at St. Agnes.